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Sunday, 30 November 2014

Baby, it's cold outside!

Winter fashion for the alternative girl

I'm sure many of you have struggled to find appropriate winter wear in alternative fashion styles. I've always wondered why there is such a bizarre lack of warm, winter clothing. There are rarely functional goth coats on the market, well, except for the seven or so Hell Bunny coats out there (pictured above) but there's got to be more variety than just that. Even while putting this post together I was hard pressed to find gloves, hats and scarves. Why is that? Well, I have a theory; I think the reason we see so little winter clothing in the goth and alternative scene is because the designers come from warmer climates. Many of the designers I've found are either from England or California, neither of which gets slammed with super cold weather and copious amounts of snow. It also costs more to produce high quality, functional winter clothing. Good warm coats and boots are not cheap. I had to spend $200 (and that's on the low end) for a pair of winter boots and they're barely surviving. Although the majority of alt shops lack winter clothing, there are still items that can be utilized to guard yourself from the bitter cold.

I've managed to throw together some mood boards that I hope might inspire you this winter. I will provide some helpful tips and suggestions for those of you who might be facing bitter temperatures and lots of snow (like me).

Glamourella

This look suits me just fine. I'm partial to animal print, sparkles, fun fur and quirky hats; that's half my wardrobe!! I love this winter jacket from Lip Service, it looks unique and it'll keep you warm in those bitter temperatures. And yes, you read that correctly, it's a real goth winter jacket. After scouring countless websites to put together this post, I have not come across a single coat marketed for winter use, except for this one. It's so glamorous that, if it could, it would shit sparkles. I thought long and hard over what I would pair it with, a nice long sleeved sweater and a mini skirt. Why a mini skirt? Well it's that punchy wardrobe essential that can be used all year round. Don't get me wrong, there isn't a chance in hell that I'd wear this on its own in the winter, instead I recommend wearing mini skirts over top of warm, thick knitted leggings or fleece backed leggings. I have a few mini skirts in the drawer and they're great little items for adding colour to your outfit.

Because this outfit is more on the quirky side, it needs to be accessorized in just that way. This black teddy bear hat is adorable. I don't know about you, but I'm not over my animal hat obsession just yet. I knit my own owl hat last year and I'll be damned if I'm giving it up just because hipsters aren't wearing them anymore. As for footwear, I've included T.U.K.'s Anarchic leather boots which I think would compliment this outfit and give it that extra bit of edge, they also seem like they'd keep your tootsies warm if you pair them with thick angora wool socks!

Jacket - Lip Service "Anastasiya" Winter Jacket

Bottoms - Iron Fist "Water Cat" Mini Skirt

Shoes - T.U.K. "Anarchic" Buckled Leather Boots

Gloves - Poizen Industries Striped Purple Gloves

Hat - Poizen Industries "Bear Attack" Hat

Miss Thang

This look is a mash up of pastel goth, nu goth and street fashion. I would love to have this outfit, the colours and prints are just too awesome. The jacket that I've used for this mood board, although cute, likely wouldn't keep you very warm on its own. I strongly recommend layering clothing underneath jackets or coats that are made of thinner materials. This is why I've included Killstar's bat hoodie. In university I wore fall jackets every winter, I got away with it because I wore good quality hoodies underneath (and I accessorized with scarves, hats and gloves). It just goes to show that if you can't find a real goth winter jacket you can make do with a fall one, as long as you layer your clothing!! The other advice I have to offer, if you're considering a fall jacket, is to make sure it's lined. Within the alternative fashion scene the word jacket can also refer to sportswear, which I do not recommend using in the winter. Wool or leather are fine materials, but cotton poplin business jackets will not help you even if you use layering underneath them!

***I caution that you shouldn't wear vegan leather or faux leather in the winter, as these materials have a tendency to crack in bitter temperatures. Although it's costly, real leather is best, unless it's not to your preference.***

I paired this cute outfit with black velvet gloves and a sequin toque. You could find such items virtually anywhere, there's nothing stopping you from buying a cheap toque and sewing sequins on yourself. That's the best part of accessorizing a goth outfit, so long as you know how to style it, you can use almost anything! :)

Jacket - Killstar Studded Leather Jacket Pink

Tops - Killstar Pastel Bat Hoodie

Bottoms - Killstar "Bast" Leggings

Gloves - Black Velvet Gloves from Ardene

Hat - Graphic Beanie with Sequin Appliqué from Ardene

Black Widow

I love black and red, I know that many goth fashionistas are sick of that colour combination, but it holds a special place in my heart. I think it's the most universally flattering colour combination out there. Who doesn't look good in a vibrant cherry red? It's hot! In this outfit I've included a peacoat. Why? Because peacoats are awesome; they're figure flattering, made of warm wool and they look classy. You can dress them up or dress them down. They're also one of the most readily available coats out there. There's no reason to splurge on a brand name one, you can easily find a basic black peacoat and jazz it up with goth accessories. For example, I could pair the above peacoat with the Sourpuss "Fuck You" scarf and hat set (although it's vulgar and I personally wouldn't wear it out during the day lol). If you've never tried a peacoat on, I strongly recommend it!

Winter boots are rather difficult to find in the alternative fashion scene. I'm not sure how functional these Demonia boots may be, but I've been in love with this style for years. Even if it doesn't shield your feet from the cold, a good pair of socks would help and the platform at least keeps you above the snow! Right? Well, although you could get away with this, when it boils down to it, I think it's better to buy a pair of legit winter boots. It's sort of the sacrifice between style and comfort, most of us would prefer comfort. If you do take a chance on these Demonia boots, I recommend using a protective spray on them to ensure the material doesn't get damaged when exposed to snow or water. These sprays are made for both synthetic and real suede, and are totally worth the investment.

Coat - H&R London Military Coat

Top - Sourpuss "Gingerdead" Hoodie

Shoes - Demonia "Bear" Platform Boots

Hat - Sourpuss "Fuck You" Pom Hat

Scarf - Sourpuss "Fuck You" Scarf

Get Pumped in Plaid

I love plaid! Lots of plaid! If it's handled carefully, mind you. Too much plaid will make you one giant eyesore. I've attempted to balance the plaid in this look by using different colours and patterns. I really like the solid red sweatshirt from Sullen, it contrasts the green in the plaid jacket and it brings out the red in the patched jeans and checkered boots.

For this board I've included a pair of pants. At this time of year pants are your best friends. Whether they're denim or microfibre, so long as they're covering your legs you're already better prepared against the cold. Jeans can be uncomfortable when they get wet and might not protect your skin from harsh winds, but you could do what I've always done and wear thin leggings underneath them. To avoid that dreaded wet pants feeling, wear boots that you can tuck your pant cuffs into. Anything above the ankle or higher is a good choice.

The jacket that I've used here is just for an example, it's actually made of a medium weight cotton - remember, that's a big no no. If you live in a warmer climate this particular jacket would be perfectly acceptable, but not for winter wear. Why did I include it? Because winter wool plaid jackets are actually fairly common outside of the alternative shops. This is something you could buy from a regular store, like Winners or whatever the equivalent may be in your country. I just wanted to demonstrate that very ordinary garments can be styled to suit your look. Hell, I'm wearing a winter jacket that I bought from American Eagle, definitely not the first place I would have thought to look.

Sickening Sweaters

One thing we can be thankful for is that there's no shortage of hooded sweatshirts, sweaters and cardigans in the alternative fashion scene. Such items are available all year round and are an essential item for the alt wardrobe. That being said, I've noticed an annoying trend in recent seasons, where goth shops are selling sweaters and printed hoodies that are made of cheap crap material. I just saw a sweater from Sourpuss where you could see the model's bra right through it! I know that in some cases sweaters look thin or poorly made on purpose, because it's imitating the grunge style, but it's fairly obvious when that's the intention. Be cautious about ordering sweaters online because they might not be as warm as they appear. Read reviews and don't be afraid to write to the company and ask questions.

1. Sourpuss Batty Sweater

2. Iron Fist Wishbone Sweater

3. Banned Cream Crosses Black Cardigan

Sock it to me!

At some point you might be tired of wearing leggings and pants, you might want to wear a thick velvet dress or skirt. What then? Socks! And lots of them. I've been obsessed with socks since I was a pre-teen. I've always had an attraction to thigh high socks in particular. They're warm and look like knitted tights, but they don't have that uncomfortable awkwardness around the crotch and bum that tights do. Socks come in such a wide variety of lengths, knits and prints. You can wear them on they're own or on top of your leggings for added warmth.

1. Floral Chain OTK from Sock Dreams

2. Extraordinary Wool Socks from Sock Dreams

3. M45s from Sock Dreams

Conclusion

I believe it is possible to maintain your style through the winter season. With a little creativity you can turn most anything out to look goth, punk, lolita or fae. I recommend picking up wardrobe staples, like warm knit leggings, thick sweaters, warm socks, mittens, scarves, hats and boots, and whatever you can get that will pass as a winter coat/jacket. If you have these items you'll manage to survive winter just fine. I hope that you've found some inspiration here. I'd be happy to hear your wardrobe tips for keeping warm in the bitter winter temperatures!

This was an awesome post. Warm goth winter clothing is impossible to find. I've one wool coat for 40 degree weather, and then it's the puffy down coat for below that. At a certain point I just stop trying

Thanks! It almost makes me wish I could start my own clothing line, I'd make real goth winter clothing because I know there's a market for it. My coat is a puffy down coat as well, it gets me by in most temperatures, but my overall solution is to just stay inside lol.

I'm glad you like my blog! I love your style too. :) I really like the Hell Bunny coats but none of the stores in my city carry them, so I'm sewing my own version from scratch. I can't wait to finish it!

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